India – Access to water for villages in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan

Local partner : His Highness Maharaja Hanwant Singhji Charitable Trust

The issue

• India gathers 16% of the world population but only 4% of the world water resources
• The lack of access to drinking water and the few rainfalls in the Thar desert lead to serious food security problems, as water is not sufficiently available to grow enough crops to feed the communities
• The presence of infected and filthy water and the lack of basic sanitary facilities lead to many waterborne diseases and high mortality rates in the region

The beneficiaries

This projects is intended for the rural families in the Thar desert (12 125 beneficiaries in total since 2011). The most vulnerable families (small farmers and breeders) are selected by the Maharaja Foundation and by village committees to benefit from the construction of a sanitary block in their house.

The activities

This project includes :

• The construction of water tanks
• The construction of sanitary facilities including latrines and showers at the families’ houses
• Training and awareness raising on the maintenance of facilities and hygiene through leaflets and booklets, discussions and reading in the village assemblies